Brian Batt

Brian Batt's paintings are startlingly, unbelievably, unnervingly real. His striking portraits often leave the viewer astounded, basking in the works baffling accuracy, subtle expressiveness and the eerily arrested vitality that stares back.

Whether working in photorealism or pointillism, Brian combines aspects of classic portraiture with pop cultural iconography. Upon entering his studio, the observer automatically becomes the observed, the recipient of a unanimous, blazingly brilliant gaze. The onlookers are poised on canvas.

In 2011 after his work appeared in a Chelsea show that featured masters and celebs like Chuck Close, Alex Katz and Yoko Ono, Batt's work started garnering serious attention. His paintings have landed on the walls of John Krasinski and Reese Witherspoon and his work is regularly commissioned for important galas and charity events.

After graduating from art school, portrait requests started coming in. References were often photos of family members that had passed away, occasionally, children that had died tragically young. When the paintings were finished, the surviving family members would be overwhelmed with emotion, reeling from likeness and spirit that were captured. The power in these moments had...

2001 BFA, HARTFORD ART SCHOOL, CT

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012
WHERE DID THE DAY GO, LOFT 525, NEW YORK, NY
RECENT PAINTINGS, THE VAULT @ THE RESERVE, LOS ANGELES, CA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012
MAKING SENSE, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, WILLIAMSBURG, NY

2011
NEW YORK'S FINEST, POP UP GALLERY, NEW YORK, NY

2010
NY NY, KITCHEN HABITAT, NEW YORK, NY
BARTY, TERMINAL, WILLIAMSBURG, NY
HEADS OR TAILS, MARY RYAN GALLERY, NEW YORK, NY